#2832 ✓cantreproduce
Ethan Schoonover

Proposed adjustment of Mailing Lists sub format string

Reported by Ethan Schoonover | June 4th, 2021 @ 07:51 PM

I'd like to propose an adjustment to the Mailing Lists smart mailbox submailbox format string.

Due to the many poorly designed mass mail systems out there, a lot of the List-ID Identifiers are just a mash of alphanumerics. This means that about 30% of the list submailboxes that were showing up in my Mailing Lists smart mailbox were named random strings like:

440ea9583e4f6b5c9cb1e2578fbaf6edb856e288
54533714ba0665d954ad3759bmc list
514005412

I created a revised submailbox format string that I'd like to propose as a new default. I've been testing it for a bit now and have posted it to the list and responses have been positive. It eliminates the alphanumerics via a regex while still prioritizing the List-ID Identifier as the preferred option when available.

The relevant message to the list is here: https://www.mail-archive.com/mailmate%40lists.freron.com/msg14232.html

The proposed format string is:

${list-id.description:?${list-id.description/^[a-z]*\d.*/${subject.blob:?${subject.blob:/capitalize}:${from.name:${list-id.identifier.final-level:?${list-id.identifier.final-level:/capitalize}:${from.address}}}}/}:${subject.blob:?${subject.blob:/capitalize}:${from.name:${list-id.identifier.final-level:?${list-id.identifier.final-level:/capitalize}:${from.address}}}}}

A version with "comments" to debug and identify which structure each mailing list is hitting:

${list-id.description:?[[HAS-LISTID]] 
${list-id.description/^[a-z]*\d.*/[[BAD-LISTID]] 
${subject.blob:?[[HAS-SUB-BLOB]] ${subject.blob:/capitalize}:[[NO-SUB-BLOB]] 
${from.name:[[NO-FROM-NAME]] 
${list-id.identifier.final-level:?[[HAS-LISTID-FINAL]] 
${list-id.identifier.final-level:/capitalize}:[[NO-LISTID-FINAL]] 
${from.address}}}}/}:[[NO-LISTID]] ${subject.blob:?[[HAS-SUB-BLOB]] 
${subject.blob:/capitalize}:[[NO-SUB-BLOB]] ${from.name:[[NO-FROM-NAME]] 
${list-id.identifier.final-level:?[[HAS-LISTID-FINAL]] 
${list-id.identifier.final-level:/capitalize}:[[NO-LISTID-FINAL]] 
${from.address}}}}}

The same commented version, but nested for easier review:

${list-id.description:?
        [[HAS-LISTID]] ${list-id.description/^[a-z]*\d.*/
                [[BAD-LISTID]] ${subject.blob:?
                        [[HAS-SUB-BLOB]] ${subject.blob:/capitalize}:
                        [[NO-SUB-BLOB]] ${from.name:
                                [[NO-FROM-NAME]] 
${list-id.identifier.final-level:?
                                        [[HAS-LISTID-FINAL]] 
${list-id.identifier.final-level:/capitalize}:
                                        [[NO-LISTID-FINAL]] ${from.address}
                                }
                        }
                }
        /}:
        [[NO-LISTID]] ${subject.blob:?
                [[HAS-SUB-BLOB]] ${subject.blob:/capitalize}:
                [[NO-SUB-BLOB]] ${from.name:
                        [[NO-FROM-NAME]] ${list-id.identifier.final-level:?
                                [[HAS-LISTID-FINAL]] 
${list-id.identifier.final-level:/capitalize}:
                                [[NO-LISTID-FINAL]] ${from.address}
                        }
                }
        }
}

-Ethan Schoonover / es@ethanschoonover.com

Comments and changes to this ticket

  • benny

    benny June 9th, 2021 @ 01:16 PM

    Thanks for the huge effort in pushing this feature to the limit while also documenting it so well!

    That said, I'm a bit hesitant with regard to making it the default since the mailbox doesn't really work well for most users. It kind of belongs in the Examples folder, but I'm also considering removing the Examples mailbox and find a completely different way to provide examples/templates for new smart mailboxes, e.g., simply offer them as “templates” when creating a new smart mailbox (when using “New Smart Mailbox”).

    Also, the name of the mailbox is only half of the problem. You'll still get a series of identically named mailboxes when the List-ID is misused. We can use this ticket to discuss solutions to that problem:

    What is needed is a better “specifier” than the current “List-ID > Identifier”. This is probably very hard or impossible to do with the current specifier system. The solution could be to hardcode support for a virtual header doing the work of your format string, but I don't like hardcoded solutions :)

    So, here's an idea. The specifiers.plist file should support providing a format string to define a virtual header similar to the current shorthands. Something like:

    "#smart-list-id" = {
        formatString = "\"${...get a name for the list...}\" <${...get a unique id for the list...}>";
    };
    

    The identifier specifier should then be extended to also work for #smart-list-id.

    The “Mailing List” smart mailbox should be changed to be based on “Smart-List-Id > Identifier” with a very simple format string using the description when available and otherwise the identifier.

    The user would still be able to provide a different format strin using their own specifiers.plist.

    This general feature might have other uses in the future.

    Any comments?

  • Ethan Schoonover

    Ethan Schoonover June 9th, 2021 @ 06:47 PM

    I absolutely agree on all points. As a temporary hack to cope with mailing list gibberish names, I find the proposed format string useful, but it's not a good long term solution.

    I actually looked at the specifiers.plist prior to submitting the format string as I also wanted to deal with the actual list-identification more "upstream" than just the naming.

    Love the idea of the #smart-list-id approach becoming a generalized feature applicable to smart list specifiers.

    Please let me know if there is any way I can further contribute (besides testing development builds).

  • benny

    benny June 17th, 2021 @ 02:25 PM

    @Ethan: You can certainly help me by trying out this feature and adapting your regex to work with it. You need to create this file if you do not already have it:

    ~/Library/Application\ Support/MailMate/Resources/specifiers.plist
    

    It needs to look like this:

    {
        parsers = {
            shorthands =
            {
                "#smart-list-id" = {
                    "formatString" = "...";
                };
            };
        };
    }
    

    The default value is currently based on your string:

    "formatString" = "<${list-id.description:?${list-id.description/^[a-z]*\d.*/${subject.blob:?${subject.blob:/capitalize}:${from.name:${list-id.identifier.final-level:?${list-id.identifier.final-level:/capitalize}:${from.address}}}}/}:${subject.blob:?${subject.blob:/capitalize}:${from.name:${list-id.identifier.final-level:?${list-id.identifier.final-level:/capitalize}:${from.address}}}}}>";
    

    But that doesn't work well. We need something like "Name of list" <list-id.foo.bar>, that is, the address-part should be unique and is used for the grouping. This is the important part. The name part doesn't really need to be unique. MailMate will just pick the first one for the name part of the smart mailbox. The mailbox then needs to be based on Smart-List-Id > Address and the format string should be ${#smart-list-id.name}.

    Here's the latest update: MailMate r5815.

  • Ethan Schoonover

    Ethan Schoonover June 26th, 2021 @ 02:22 AM

    Benny, just confirming I've got this plist set up and am testing/playing around with it.

  • Ethan Schoonover

    Ethan Schoonover October 9th, 2022 @ 06:45 PM

    The presence of specifiers plist causes a crash on any build after 5898 for me. I had to remove the specifiers.plist to enable upgrade.

  • benny

    benny October 10th, 2022 @ 02:15 PM

    @Ethan: Could you send me your file using “Help > Send Feedback” and I'll see if I can reproduce/fix the issue.

  • benny

    benny October 10th, 2022 @ 02:15 PM

    • State changed from “new” to “cantreproduce”

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